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A couple dozen solar farms are to spring up on private land near substations to power communities nearby under a series of deals just struck by San Diego Gas & Electric.

The 23 farms, most less than 10 acres, will make 50 megawatts of power when the sun in shining.

With each megawatt enough for about 650 homes, that's a fraction of the power San Diego needs, but it will help SDG&E meet state renewable-power requirements.

"They were able to bring us a price that's very competitive, and here in San Diego County," said Mike Niggli, president of the utility.

He did not disclose the terms of the deal.

The farms will rely on solar panels mounted on poles, with motors that turn them to face the sun from morning to night.

By tracking the sun, they will produce more electricity than if they were stationary, and much of that at times when energy need is highest and traditional rooftop installations are not making full power.

The electricity will be used by nearby homes and businesses, said Jeff Brothers, president of Sol Orchard, the Carmel company that plans to build the farms.

"We’ve scoured the county and found a number of sites that are ideal, anywhere from Valley Center to Ramona to Boulevard to Alpine," he said. "I’m hoping the communities develop a sense of pride around those projects."

He doesn't expect difficulties getting approval from the projects because county officials have indicated solar farms of less than 10 acres can get the go-ahead without lengthy proceedings.

Equipment and construction will cost about $200 million. His company plans to buy or lease the land needed for the farms, many of them in the eastern and norther parts of the county.

A major bank, he wouldn't say which one, is putting up the investment.

To meet state renewable-energy mandates, SDG&E has been buying solar and wind power from developers, most of them outside the county.

That was the justification it used to get approval for the Sunrise Powerlink, which connects San Diego to the Imperial County.

But even with the $1.9 billion line, there are limits, Niggli said.

"We are filling up our capacity on the Sunrise Powerlink," he said.

Its cooperation with Sol Orchard is different in that it doesn't rely on one big farm, but rather a series of small ones, and the power is generated close to users.

That saves the cost of transmission. Plus more power gets to customers, because some electricity is lost on the big lines.

More such deals are in the offing. SDG&E has committed to buying 100 megawatts from small solar facilities near customers.

SDG&E's customers use between 2,000 and 4,500 megawatts at any given time, depending on the weather, the time of day and the time of year.